Moore's Smooth Sculptures
Learn about Henry Moore's way of seeing shapes as you create your own simple, flowing sculpture.
1. Henry Moore, a sculptor, was born in Castleford, England, on July 30, 1898. After studying in London, he held a one-man show at the Museum of Modern Art in New York in 1946, and soon became internationally known. His work, which is large and organic (the term refers to natural forms), is bold and simple. He described his method of simplifying form and referring to other natural objects this way: "In my opinion, everything, every shape, every bit of natural form, animals, people, pebbles, shells, anything you like are all things that can help you to make a sculpture" [Five British Sculptors (Work and Talk) by Warren Forma, 1964].
2. Look closely at Henry Moore's sculptures to notice how simple and flowing his forms are. To create your own sculpture in Moore's manner, begin by observing your favorite animal, or a photograph of one. If you have access to a live animal, wait until the animal is standing or lying quietly. Make a simple sketch of the animal with Crayola® Colored Pencils. Break down the forms you see into simple shapes. If you are using a photograph, look at the largest part of the animal first, and simplify the shapes that you see.
3. Study your drawings. Connect the shapes to each other with curved, flowing lines.
4. Choose one color of Crayola Model Magic to make a simplified shape of the animal body. To add one shape to another, moisten the separate parts with your fingers, then carefully seam them together, smoothing over the area you joined.
5. Add a few details with black and white Model Magic. Dry.
Adult supervision is required for any arts & crafts project.
Crayola Modeling Materials including Crayola Model Magic®, Model Magic Fusion™, Crayola Air-Dry Clay, and Crayola Dough With Small Parts—
WARNING: CHOKING HAZARD—
- Keep away from open flames. Do not use to make candleholders, hot plates, trivets, or other similar objects that will be used or placed near fire and other heat sources.
- Do not put in an oven, microwave, or kiln.
- Do not make into vessels/containers that will hold unpackaged food.
- If the arts & crafts project involves making small objects, follow the small parts/choking hazards standards: WARNING: CHOKING HAZARD—Small parts. Not for children under 3 years."
- The use of modeling material to make items that look like food is discouraged for children younger than age 5 to avoid their confusion with real food.
- Unless sealed with a water-resistant glaze, do not make projects exposed to or immersed in water, such as boats or outdoor bird feeders. They would disintegrate when exposed to moisture.
- Crayola Dough—contains gluten (wheat flour) as an ingredient. Crayola Air-Dry Clay, Crayola Model Magic, and Model Magic Fusion are gluten-free. However, they are produced on the same machinery as Crayola Dough which does contain gluten. Although the machines are cleaned prior to the start of each production run, there is a slight possibility that trace amounts of gluten from Crayola Dough may be present in the other modeling compound products. For information regarding specific ingredients or allergic concerns, please call our Consumer Affairs department at 1-800-272-9652 weekdays between 9 AM and 4 PM Eastern Standard Time.
- Create a simplified human form by drawing a person, then making his or her body thicker and simpler than it looks in real life. Pose your human sculpture in different poses until you find one that is graceful and flowing. Smooth out any abrupt changes in shape, making an organic, simple sculptural form.
- Create a group sculpture with several figures, then smooth them together.
- Compare and contrast Henry Moore's sculptures with those of Michelangelo, Auguste Rodin, George Segal, and other sculptors. How is their work similar? Different?
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